Church Of St Nicholas

Church of St Nicholas

This is a parish church of medieval origin, substantially restored in the 19th century. It comprises a late 15th-century square tower, aisled nave, south porch, chancel, and 19th-century north vestry. The building is constructed of flint and rubble with stone dressings, rendered walls, and tile roofs.

The Tower

The west tower is of flint and rubble with stone dressings and has three stages with an embattled parapet. Diagonal buttresses and a stair turret are set against the south wall. The west doorway has two orders of hollow chamfers and roll mouldings beneath a hoodmould with the stops cut off, and retains a medieval door. The 3-light Perpendicular west window has cusped lights beneath a curved arched head. A single cusped light serves the ringing chamber in the south wall. The belfry openings to north, south and west are 2-light cusped Perpendicular windows.

The Nave

On the south elevation, diagonal buttresses frame a doorway of three continuous orders of wave and two roll mouldings with a hollow; the hood consists of two rolls. A pair of early 19th-century doors sits above a square hood of two roll mouldings with spandrels of knapped flint and a moulded band continuing from the aisle west wall to the second bay. A rendered gault brick porch encloses this entrance. Above are two 2-light Decorated windows (the west one 19th century, the east one restored in the 19th century and later) and one 3-light window with intersecting tracery, much restored. The clerestory contains three windows of 2 cusped lights beneath square heads. On the north elevation, the nave is diagonally buttressed and features a window of 3 lancet lights with upper parts rendered over, and two restored Perpendicular windows of 2 cusped lights. A blocked doorway with hollow chamfer between rolls and scroll moulded hood is also present.

The Chancel

The chancel is buttressed and contains two restored early 14th-century and later 2-light windows, the right one with a tall pointed head. A chamfered priest's doorway opens from the south side, and a 3-light 19th-century Decorated style window occupies the east end. On the north side, two lancet lights serve the chancel. A 19th-century vestry is attached to the north. A memorial to James Hows (1712) with a shaped head and skull between flowers is attached to the east wall.

Interior

The interior features 13th-century 4-bay arcades of alternating drum and octagonal piers with almost waterholding bases and well moulded caps. The eastern responds consist of an annulated shaft with waterholding base and undercut moulding to cap; the western responds are squared with chamfered arrises, the south face with bar stop and the north with run-out stop. A chamfered impost sits on an ogee moulded corbel. The arches are double and chamfered. The tower arch is obscured by the organ, though some roll moulded respond is visible.

The nave roof is a 4-bay staggered butt purlin and king post construction. The south aisle has chamfered and roll moulded principals and flat joists, with "WV 1759" inscribed. The north aisle retains remains of an earlier braced truss to the west, with 2 blocked clerestory windows similar to those on the south, partly obscured by the roof of thin staggered purlins.

A piscina on the south aisle is enclosed in a rectangular opening with a cinquefoil drain. The north aisle has a trefoil-headed piscina with a septafoil drain. The font is 19th century. Remains of wall paintings appear above the north arcade; the painting opposite the door is said to depict St Christopher.

There is no chancel arch. The rood beam is supported on corbels in the form of a wild man or lion to the south and a grimacing cat to the north. On the south side of the chancel is an early 16th-century brick four-centre arched doorway with chamfered reveals; the rood tower and steps are also brick with timber treads, opening to the rood loft above. A cinquefoil cusped piscina with cinquefoil drain is positioned here. A chamfered north doorway and squint complete the chancel's openings.

Furnishings and Fittings

A fine late 17th-century moulded altar rail with twisted balusters survives. Remains of a 19th-century Perpendicular screen with blind traceried panels painted with foliage and brattished cresting are now in the sanctuary. Early 19th-century pews and other fittings are present.

Monuments

The church contains several monuments of note. That to Thomas Tympley (died 14 January 1593), his wife and family, is of marble. It features two pairs of facing kneeling figures flanked by their children between pilasters and below a cornice of coloured marble panels, framed by scrolled brackets. Above are three crests, the centre surmounted by a winged skull. Below are two black marble panels inscribed in Latin, articulated by stumpy pilaster strips or panels, with a base of carved stone strapwork decoration.

A monument to Captain John Timperley (died 28 January 1629) consists of an engraved slate panel depicting an armoured figure beneath a pedimented canopy with shield and escutchion above, flanked by military trophies. Dogerel verse appears below.

A stone and marble monument to Sir Thomas Tymperley (died 29 April 1681) and Michael Tymperley (died 7 July 1653) displays a pair of inscribed panels between pilasters and below semi-circular hoods crowned by winged figures, all contained within an aedicule of composite pilasters beneath a pediment surmounted by a shield. The apron is heavily carved with scrolls and garland, flanked by blank shields.

Inscribed tablets to Charles Vesey (1637) and Thomas Vesey (1679) are also present. The floor contains 18th-century slabs to the Broke family.